Sanitary attachment for speaking-tubes or telephone-mouthpieces.



No. 792,601. PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

W. s. LITTLE.

SANITARY ATTACHMENT FUR SPEAKING TUBES. 0R

TELEPHONE MOUT'HPIEOES.

APPLIOATION FILED MAB. s, 1905.

UNITED "STATES Patented June 20, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

WVALTER S. LITTLE, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 792,601, dated June 20, 1905.

Application filed March 3, 1905- Serial No. 248,200.

To all whom it may cmwcrn:

Be it known that I, WALTER S. LITTLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Sanitary Attachments for Speaking-Tubes or Telephone-Mouthpieces, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

My invention relates to a sanitary device to be applied to the mouthpiece of a telephone or speaking-tube while the latter is being used for the purpose of preventing the lips of the user from coming into direct contact with the mouthpiece or any germs contained therein being forcibly expelled into the mouth or throat of the one talking.

It is a well-established fact that contagious diseases are often transmitted from one person to another through the medium of telephOne-mouthpieces; and it is the object of my present invention to provide a novel shield or sanitary attachment which can be readily carried in the vest-pocket and can be temporarily applied to the mouthpiece of a telephone while the latter is being used, thereby to protect the user from liability of contracting any disease.

My improved device comprises an annular holder provided with a groove and having yielding means to engage the mouthpiece, and thereby secure the holder to the mouthpiece, a diaphragm of antiseptic or other material stretched across the mouthpiece, and a clamping ring to fill the groove of the holder and clamp the edges of the diaplnagm in place. The clamping-ring can be readily taken out of the groove, thereby permitting the diaphragm to be changed in case it becomes foul or dirty.

In the drawings I have shown two forms of my invention.

Figure 1 is a sectional view through a telephone-transmitter having my improved attachment applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a section on the line w :13, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a modification. Fig. 4 is an enlarged section through one side of the holder.

3 designates an annular holder having a groove 4 and provided with some suitable yielding means to engage the mouthpiece 5 of the transmitter.

Stretched across the holder 4 is a diaphragm 6 of some suitable material which will not interfere with the transmission of speech, said diaphragm being of a size to extend across the groove 4.

7 designates a clamping-ring shaped to fit the groove 4-and which is for the purpose of clamping the edge of the diaphra m 6 to the holder. Said ring 7 is preferably a split ring, which can be sprung into the groove, this construction being preferred because a split ring clamps the diaphragm more firmly to the holder than a solid ring would.

Preferably the holder is of such a size that when it is in place the edge of the transmittermouthpiece rests against the ring 7, as seen in Fig. 1. To more securely hold the clamp ing-ring in place, I may, if desired, provide the holder with one or more holding-prongs 8, which can be bent over the back side of the ring, and thereby prevent it coming out of the groove.

I have shown two different ways in which the device may be detachably secured to the mouthpiece 5. In Figs. 1 and 2 the holder is provided with an annular flange 9, having a groove 10 therein,in which groove is fitted an annular collar or gripping member 1 1 of flexible materialsuch, for instance, as rubber or felt. The gripping member 11 is flexible enough to permit the device to be placed over the telephone-mouthpiece and withdrawn therefrom and yet is sufficiently rigid to hold the device in place.

In Fig. 3 the device is held by spring-fingers 12, which project from the holder and are adapted to engage the mouthpiece. It will be observed that the construction is such that the diaphragm is firmly held in position, but can be readily renewed when it becomes soiled.

hen the device is on the mouth iece of the transmitter, all parts thereof wit which the lips could by any possibility contact are covered, and as the device is compact in shape it can be readily carried in the vest-pocket and applied to any instrument when the lat ter is used.

Although I have shown but two ways in which my invention may be embodied, I do not wish to be limited to the construction herein shown, as various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a sanitary attachment for speakingtubes or telephones, an annular grooved holder constructed to be detachably applied to a telephone-transmitter mouthpiece, a diaphragm stretched across said holder and adapted to cover the mouthpiece, and a clamping-ring fitting the groove of the holder and clamping the edge of the diaphragm therein.

2. In a device of the class described, an

annular grooved holder, yielding means carried thereby to embrace a transmittermouth piece, a diaphragm stretched across the holder, and a clamping-ring fitting the groove in the holder and clamping the edge of the diaphragm therein.

3. In a device of the class described, an annular holder, yielding means carried thereby to embrace the mouthpiece of a telephonetransmitter, said holder having a groove on the side which is adjacent the mouthpiece, a diaphragm extending across said holder, and a clamping-ring fitted within said groove and clamping the edges of the diaphragm therein.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WALTER S. LITTLE.

Witnesses:

LOUIS O. SMITH, MARGARET A. DUNN. 

